


Dead Bush Clover

by inojinbae



Category: Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
Genre: Art, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Friendship/Love, Love, Love Confessions, M/M, Misery, Older Characters, Team Bonding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2020-12-29
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:26:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,302
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28386225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inojinbae/pseuds/inojinbae
Summary: This is a continuation of "The Two Artists".Boruto and his team came back to the Konoha after four years. They were eager to see their friends, but they didn't expect what they found after their return. So many things has changed...
Relationships: Araya (Naruto)/Yamanaka Inojin, Moegi/Sarutobi Konohamaru, Nara Shikadai/Yamanaka Inojin
Kudos: 15





	Dead Bush Clover

~Four years later~

"I can't wait to see them! It has been four years... What do you think? Will they recognize us? No! Will we recognize them? I bet they look totally different! I'm wondering if Denki grew taller..." Boruto seemed to be really excited. He looked at his teammates, who just smiled. "Hima! I bet she is much stronger. I miss her a lot! Same about my mum and dad."

"So do I... My mum is probably gonna squeeze me so tight that I won't be able to breath," Sarada chuckled with light blush on her cheeks. "She won't let me out for at least the whole week."

Sasuke smiled, thinking about his wife. Despite the fact that they don't spend much time together, their love was strong. They had beautiful and strong daughter. Whenever he looked at his child, he was thankful to Sakura. She was his moon on the empty, black sky that saved him from darkness. Thanks to her he has loving family he always wanted to have.

"What about you, Mitsuki? What are you going to do after we enter the village?" Boruto asked, glancing at the other boy.

"I... I want to see everyone," he replied and smiled poking his head.

"I see... We-" He cut off his sentence when he got attacked by some masked person. He dodged itand took a step back. It was pointless because his opponent was continuesly fighting him with a short sword. His moves were really fast and hard to block. "Who are you?" he asked but he didn't receive any answer. Instead of that some strange creatures rushed at him. Uzumaki took off his coat, ready to fight, but he stopped when he realized who was hiding behind that mask. "Super Beast Scroll? Inojin?"

"Boruto?" he asked and stood in front of him, so that he could get better view. "It can't be... Is it really you?"

"Long time no see." He smirked. "What are you doing here?"

"Good job," Sasuke praised him, stepping before blonde boy. "I see sensing system has improved."

"Yes. We're doing our best," he replied and bowed his head. Then he looked at Boruto and his team. "I'm the leader of Konoha Team Barrier. I sensed some strange chakra, so I decided to check what's going on, but I didn't expect it was you," he explained, hiding his tanto. 

"Check? You literally attacked us! You'were trying to kill us!"

"That's your words. I never said it was my intention..." he answered with pure smile, which they couldn't see because of his mask. "Anyway, let's go. I'm not supposed to talk to you outside the village. Besides, I'm sure that the others are eager to see you. I reported your arrival."

"When? You were-"

"Remember I'm Yamanaka Clan leader. I linked to my team and sent them the report right away. Hurry up, I want to take this stupid mask off," he said as he turned his back to them and started walking in well-known direction.

They could see that his hair grew much longer, but the same couldn't be said about his height. He was short and slim. Because he was wearing crop-top, they could see his flat, slightly muscled stomach. He looked like a person, who wouldn't hurt anyone. Well, appearances can be deceptive. 

As soon as they entered the village Inojin took off his mask, showing his slightly femine features, including long, dark lashes. His brushed his bangs with fingers, and raised one eyebrow.

"Why are you staring at me?" he asked them, but they didn't answer.

"You look better than Sarada," Mitsuki said after a while, not thinking about the consequences. 

The pale boy giggled, seeing how black-haired girl clenched her fists, "I can agree," he admitted slightly amused, glancing at young Uchiha. He was satisfied with her reaction. She was mad. "Well, I have to leave you. I have so many things to do. See you later!" He waved and disappeared, leaving them in a confusion.

"He looks happy," Boruto stated.

The girl shook his head and stood before them. "He may look like that but... That emptiness inside his eyes scares me," she said truly concerned. 

"Boruto?" he heard his name which forced him to look around. 

"Denki?" The blond smiled widely. "Wow, you really grew taller!" He laughed a bit. "How are you? How is your family business?"

"Same about you! Well, not gonna lie, our products are spreading across the whole shinobi World. Er have so much work... Luckily, it's my day off, so I can show you the village. many things has changed. The streets are not the same, people are totally different. You'll see."

"It feels weird, doesn't it?" Boruto looked at Sarada, who just nodded. 

"Have you met someone yet?" Denki glanced at them.

"Yeah... We were attacked by Inojin. He said he doesn't have time for us," the blond complained.

"As usual..." he sighed. "He doesn't hang out with us anymore. I guess I'm the only one who has some opportunities to talk to him, since I'm a member of Scientific Ninja Tools Team. His team tests our weapons."

"His team?" Sarada asked, raising her eyebrow. "He has his own team?"

"Yes, he do. Those kids are... Well, they are really troublesome. He found them in a small village nearby Amegakure, while he was on a mission with Kazekage's son's team. It turned out that their parents are dead, so he took them to Konoha. He saved them from loneliness, but they don't seem to be grateful... It was right after your departure."

"Wow, I didn't know that..." Boruto gasped.

"You know that his father is ANBU chief, right? Inojin is helping him a lot. There are some gossips, that he's going to inherit his position, but from what I heard, he wants to become proffesional medical ninja. Yet, he's the Leader of Analysis Team of Konoha Intelligence Division and Sensory Division. He's also running his family business. You cannot blame him. He really doesn't have time to hang out. After his mother's death, his personality changed and he..."

"He's trying to forget about what happened four years ago by working all the time," Mitsuki ended his sentence, seeing, that the other one was struggling with that. 

"Yes... I miss those times... When we were spending time on playing video games, card games or sitting all days at the Lighting Burger," Denki said, looking at the restaurant. It was bigger than years ago. "Anyway, let's go. There are some other places I want to show you."

Konoha was totally different. The whole team felt uncomfortable seeing all those people they didn't know. It looked like villagers forgot about what happened years ago. They were talking, smiling, laughing. It made Boruto frowned. 

"How can they be so calm? The war is coming, dattebasa!" he whispered to Sarada, but the others could hear them as well.

"I know..." she replied quietly.

"Look!" Denki called, showing them building and huge billboard with Metal's picture. 

"Metal?!" They all didn't even try to hide their astonishment. Their jaws alsmost dropped.

"B-but... Wasn't he the insecure one?" Mitsuki asked confused.

"He was, but now his self-confidence is really high. He overcome his fears, his anxiety and now he's running that gym on himself. He's also taijutsu teacher at the academy," he explained, smiling proudly and looked at his watch. "Right now he's practicing with genins, so he won't talk to us."

"I can't believe... It sounds like different person," Sarada said to herself, looking at the billboard. 

"Woah... Everyone is so busy, dattebasa... What about Shikadai? I bet he's playing shougi as usual!" 

"Most likely... He's still Chunin after all. Although he would pass it for sure, he refused to take Jonin exams. He said that it was too troublesome and he had time for that. Moreover, he's preparing himself to become Hokage's advisor. He helps at the office."

"That sounds like him. Can we go and see him?" Boruto asked, glancing at the other boy.

"So you don't wanna see other places?" The disappointment appeared on his face.

"Denki... I'm sorry, but I'd prefer to see my friends, right?" He looked at his teammates for approval. "We can go for sight-seeing following days, okay?" 

"You're right... I'm sorry. I guess I'm really proud of our village's development." He chuckled. "You know the way, right?"

"Yeah. Don't you wanna come over?" 

"No, thanks. I'm going to help Iwabee. He's preparing for Jonin exams."

"Jonin? For real? Why?"

"He decided that he want to become teacher at academy, so that he would teach the next Hokage," he explained with a smile. "Besides, right now Inojin and Sumire are the only Jonins out of our friends. I guess he's jealous a bit."

"Inojin as a Jonin... His subordinates must be masochists," Uzumaki laughed. "What about Sumire? Does she own her team as well?" 

"No." He shook his head. "She's the leader of Scientific Ninja Tools Team. She's also teacher at the academy. She said that she had fulfilled her dreams."

"Uh... I see... Well, seeya! I hope we'll see each other soon at the Lighting Burger, dattebasa. Can't wait to see you all!"

"See you later! Say hello to Shikadai from me!" he replied and ran in the other direction.

"I can't believe how much has changed..." Sarada whispered.

"Yeah, but fortunately Denki is still the same!" Boruto smiled cheerfully, which somehow cheered up the girl.

"Chocho! Excuse me, guys. I have to go and see her!" 

"Really? Don't you wanna see Shikadai?" He raised his eyebrow.

"I do, but you have to understand me. She's my best friend and I'm gonna see her first," she said and went to the Akimichi's house.

"Girls are really weird," Boruto stated, looking at Mitsuki who just smiled in a response. "Nevermind, let's go," he called and moved on.

In a short while they were standing in front of Nara's house. Boruto immediately knocked, putting much strength in it. "Shikadai!" he shouted really loud, drawing passagers' attention. After some time tall, dark-haired boy opened the door. He yawned and scratched his hip.

"What now?" he asked, not even looking at the boys. He seemed to be irritated, but after he opened his eyes, his face expression changed. "Boruto? Mitsuki?" he asked because he couldn't believe in what he saw. "What are you doing here? Come in!" He invited them inside with a smile. 

"Have you just woken up?" Boruto asked, raising his eyebrow and the other one nodded. "Well, some things never change... We've just arrived."

"Good... Wanna something to drink?" He offered and brought a bottle of water and glass. "So, tell me everything."

They spend at least two hours on talking, but they had too many topics to discuss. It was obvious that it was too little time. They haven't seen each other for four years. Despite that, their friendship was as strong as it was years before.

"We met Inojin... How is he? We heard he's busy all the time."

"Inojin? I don't know. We don't talk anymore." Shikadai shrugged. "Ino-shika-cho doesn't exist anymore," he said, looking in the other direction.

"What? What do you mean?" Boruto asked concerned. 

"Inojin has his own team now," he said and lit the cigarette. "We're kinda... Estranged?"

"What happened?" Mitsuki was watching him carefully, making him sigh.

"He was upset about the fact that we don't want to take Jonin exams. I get it... He's really ambitious but... Isn't he a medical ninja? He should know that his lifestyle isn't healthy, yet... He's still working all the time. And those kids... They are terrible. One of them is disrespecting him all the time. I told him that he should have given up with them, but it only pissed him off." he explained, staring at the smoke.

"Denki mentioned something about those kids. Are they really that bad?"

"They are. Well, maybe not all of them, but... You'll see," he said, glancing at the huge clock. "Excuse me, I have to get ready to the Hokage's office. I have some paper work to do. Let's meet in the evening."

"O-okay," Boruto stuttered and slowly got up. The left his house but stayed in his yard. "What was that?" He looked at Mitsuki. "Did you notice that?" 

"Yes," he nodded. "He behaves like he was hiding something."

"You're right. Well, I have to go and see my mum and Hima. Wanna come?" he asked and the other nodded with a smile.

In a few minutes, they arrived at Boruto's house. They were immediately greeted by his mother and sister. Tears of happiness were running down their cheeks. Hinata invited the boys inside and cooked her son his favourite dish. She couldn't forget about Mitsuki, so she made him scrambled eggs since it was his favourite food.

"Hima! You look so beautiful! You really grown up," Boruto praised his younger sister, making her blush a little.

"Yes!" She nodded enthustically. "Mommy and Auntie Hanabi helped me develop my Byakugan. I'm Chuunin now!"

"Wow that's so cool!" he replied with a smile.

"Doesn't it feel weird? Himawari-chan has higher rank," Mitsuki noticed, glancing at his friend.

"No, it's... What?" He slapped his cheeks. "I've just realized that we're still genins..." 

"Chuunin exams starts in a few weeks. You should sign up," his mother encouraged them with a smile.

"I'm better ninja than my brother," Himawari chuckled. 

"I guess you are," Boruto smiled and began to eat. 

They spent so much time on talking. Even though Naruto didn't come to greet his son, it felt nice. He was too happy to see his mom and sister to complain. He knew that his father was too busy. Of course, it was painful, but at the age of 17 Boruto finally could understand that he has some duties to fill.  
After the dinner the boys left the house unnoticed. At least, they thought so.

"Are you leaving again?" They could hear Himawari's voice.

"We want to see our friends. We arranged our meeting at Lighting Burger. Wanna come?" he asked, but she shook her head.

"Have fun, you two. I'll help mom." She smiled and headed inside.

"Tell her I'll be back soon." The girl nodded and disappeared behind the door.

"So, are we going to the Lighting Burger? It's already late. The sky is getting darker." Mitsuki glanced at the blond.

"Not yet. We're taking Inojin with us," he replied and moved on. "Let's go, we're going to his house," he added. The other boy didn't say anything, he just followed him. It didn't took them much time, since Yamanaka's house was placed nearby. Boruto knocked to the door. They didn't have to wait outside because Sai opened it immediately and invited them inside.

"Uh? Boruto and Mitsuki? Welcome back. When did you arrive?" he asked politely.

"A few hours ago," Uzumaki answered with a smile. "Is Inojin here? Can we talk with him?"

"He's not here," Sai replied. "He has his own flat. He's not my baby boy anymore," he explained, hiding his sadness behind a fake smile. "You know, children grow up so fast." He chuckled.

"What? He doesn't live with you anymore?" Uzumaki asked, furrowing his eyebrows. The adult shook his head. "What the heck is going on with him?!"

Sai just gave him miserable look. 

"Could you give us his new address?" Mitsuki glanced at raven, who took a piece of paper without a word. 

"What are you going to do?"

"Spend some time together." Boruto winked at him. "Thanks, old man. Take care! Goodnight!" He smiled widely and walked away. "I'm so sorry for him... He lost his wife and his son left him. He must feel so lonely," the blond murmured, staring at the ground.

"Denki said he works with him. I'm sure he visits him from time to time. We're talking about Inojin."

"But... It feels like he's totally different person, dattebasa,"

Mitsuki just looked at him with compassion. He didn't say anything. He was right. He has changed.  
Soon they reached Inojin's flat, but they couldn't bring themselves to knock to the door. They glanced at each other before they decided to do it. Boruto gulped, when he heard steps. The person, who opened them door was tall. At first they thought that it was Shikadai, but then they saw that familiar mask on his face. Seeing that Uzumaki took a step back. He noticed Inojin in the background who was drying his hair with towel. It was so long that it reached his hip bones. 

"What is he doing here?!" he shouted, pointing his finger at the masked boy. 

"Shhh, you're going to wake my neighbours up," Inojin warned, approaching the door. "Who gave you my address?"

"Your dad. How could you left him like thet, huh?" Boruto asked, furrowing his eyebrows. 

"That's none of your businsess," he mumbled. 

"Tch," he hissed in a response. "So you don't have time to hang out with your friends, with us, but you have time to share it with him?"

"We have some important topics to discuss and you interrupted our conversation," he replied, crossing his arms. 

"Are you kidding me? What topics?" he asked angrily. "Is that more important than us?"

"Kinda." Inojin rolled his eyes. "We have to prepare our team for Chuunin exams. Besides, we work together on something, but I'm not allowed to tell you the details," he said, leaning against the doorframe.

"Unbelievable," Boruto whispered to himself. 

"We wanted to invite you on a meeting," Mitsuki announced enthustically. "That's why we came here," he added with a smile.

"Huh?" Yamanaka raised his eyebrow. "I don't have time for things like that," he answered and put his hand on a handle to close the door, but he was stopped by Boruto.

"We're meeting at 10 p.m. Don't be late," he said before they both left.

Inojin closed the door and leaned against it with a sigh.

"I think you should go and see them," Araya spoke. "They are your friends after all."

"I don't consider them as friends anymore," he mumbled, staring at the floor.

"That's not true..." He put his hand on his arm. "You look happier today. I was wondering why because you didn't tell me they came back. Now I know the reason."

The shorter lifted his head to look through the holes in his mask before he looked away with light blush. 

"B-but... What about you? Will you-"

Araya shook his head, "I don't think it is a good idea. I'm not welcome, they are friends of yours. I will come back to my village."

"But.. It's late. You can stay here," he insisted staring into his eyes.

He wouldn't admit that, but he loved his company. Araya was really kind and warm person. He felt safe around him. The masked boy could say the same thing about the younger one. It was Inojin who helped him gain self-confidence and surrounded him with love, happiness and calm.

"Don't worry. I will be alright. Go and have some fun," he encouraged with a smile. Even though Inojin couldn't see it, he felt it.

"Thank you. I'll visit you with kids soon," he said, smiling cheerfully.

"Did you forget? They're going with me. You're really overworking yourself. You need some rest."

"You're right, I'm sorry." He laughed a bit. "Take care of them, especially of Haku."

"I know." He smiled and took his things with him. "Be nice to them, please. They are worried about you."

"Fine. I'll try," he replied unwillingly. "Be careful."

"Yeah, see you soon," he said and left his flat. The blond boy locked the door and leaned against it. He felt anxious.

"I don't want to see them," Inojin whispered to himself.


End file.
